Daniel Weisbeck's Blog
August 30, 2022
BlueInk Starred Review for Status Human
Status Human receives a Starred Review from BlueInk Reviews. (August 2022):
"This exceptional second installment in Daniel Weisbeck’s Upsilon saga (after 2021’s Moon Rising) continues the story of Silon, a sentient android that could either be humankind’s next evolutionary step or the harbinger of its extinction.
Weisbeck opens up the storyline’s scope in this second installment, beginning with Silon (who resembles a young human girl) and her guardian, Teacher (aka Professor Bobby Houndstooth), former head of Anthropomorphism Programming at Nomad Robotics. They are living undercover on a remote island while hiding from those looking to destroy them.
Silon understands the secrecy; she is not only an invaluable piece of revolutionary technology that Nomad Robotics desperately wants back but also, perhaps, the first glimpse into post-humanity. But when she takes an interest in a boy working at a fish stand, she jeopardizes the safety of herself and Teacher.
Weisbeck also explores the story of Susan, an android similar to Silon who, after seemingly awakening from a year-long coma, struggles to uncover the truth of her existence. Is she a traumatized teen who suffered from an eating disorder and drug addiction, or is she something much more? Featuring more than a few jaw-dropping bombshell plot twists, Silon and Susan’s stories intertwine at novel’s end in grand style.
As good as Moon Rising was, Status Human is exponentially better. The pacing and intensity are off the charts, creating a pulse-pounding page-turner that readers will find extremely difficult to put down.
The author’s world-building is also excellent and much improved from the first novel. Weisbeck more than satisfies reader expectation with a focus on meticulous description throughout: “Unskinned metal skeletons sprouting hard drives, bio-mechanical organs, and dense cabling in a nervous system floated in the glass boxes, suspended in the same milky substance that filled the pool at my feet…”
This is a stand-up-and-applaud science fiction thriller. If this installment is any indication, the third novel should be spectacular."
"This exceptional second installment in Daniel Weisbeck’s Upsilon saga (after 2021’s Moon Rising) continues the story of Silon, a sentient android that could either be humankind’s next evolutionary step or the harbinger of its extinction.
Weisbeck opens up the storyline’s scope in this second installment, beginning with Silon (who resembles a young human girl) and her guardian, Teacher (aka Professor Bobby Houndstooth), former head of Anthropomorphism Programming at Nomad Robotics. They are living undercover on a remote island while hiding from those looking to destroy them.
Silon understands the secrecy; she is not only an invaluable piece of revolutionary technology that Nomad Robotics desperately wants back but also, perhaps, the first glimpse into post-humanity. But when she takes an interest in a boy working at a fish stand, she jeopardizes the safety of herself and Teacher.
Weisbeck also explores the story of Susan, an android similar to Silon who, after seemingly awakening from a year-long coma, struggles to uncover the truth of her existence. Is she a traumatized teen who suffered from an eating disorder and drug addiction, or is she something much more? Featuring more than a few jaw-dropping bombshell plot twists, Silon and Susan’s stories intertwine at novel’s end in grand style.
As good as Moon Rising was, Status Human is exponentially better. The pacing and intensity are off the charts, creating a pulse-pounding page-turner that readers will find extremely difficult to put down.
The author’s world-building is also excellent and much improved from the first novel. Weisbeck more than satisfies reader expectation with a focus on meticulous description throughout: “Unskinned metal skeletons sprouting hard drives, bio-mechanical organs, and dense cabling in a nervous system floated in the glass boxes, suspended in the same milky substance that filled the pool at my feet…”
This is a stand-up-and-applaud science fiction thriller. If this installment is any indication, the third novel should be spectacular."
June 8, 2021
Ascension receives a 'Get It' from Kirkus
⭐️Kirkus reviews are in on Ascension!⭐️
"Weisbeck’s novella, which takes place before the series’ second installment, Oasis One (2020), is a sublime love story." - Kirkus
Read the full review here...
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...
"Weisbeck’s novella, which takes place before the series’ second installment, Oasis One (2020), is a sublime love story." - Kirkus
Read the full review here...
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...
June 3, 2021
IndieReader Discovery Award Winner!
CHILDREN OF THE MIRACLE
WINS 2021 INDIEREADER DISCOVERY AWARD FOR SCIENCE FICTION
June, 2nd, 2021 – On Thursday June 2nd, IndieReader, one of the original review services for self, hybrid and independently published authors, announced the winners of the tenth annual IR Discovery Awards (IRDAs) for 2021. Children of the Miracle by Daniel Weisbeck won in the Science Fiction category.
IndieReader launched the IRDAs in 2011 to help notable indie authors receive the attention of top publishing professionals, with the goal of reaching more readers.
Noted Amy Edelman, author and founder of IR, “The books that won the IRDAs this year are not simply great indie books; they are great books, period. We hope that our efforts via the IRDAs ensure that they receive attention from the people who matter most. Potential readers.”
Past and present sponsors for the IRDAs include Amazon, Reedsy, Smith Publicity and NY-based literary agents Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. Judges have included publishers (from Penguin Group USA and Simon & Schuster), agents (from ICM, Dystel), publicists (from Smith Publicity), and bloggers (from GoodeReader).
Children of the Miracle received the following verdict by IndieReader’s reviewers:
“An absolutely astounding and riveting dystopian thriller, Daniel Weisbeck’s CHILDREN OF THE MIRACLE is packed with interesting characters, action, and intrigue on every page as readers explore a postpandemic era and the vast possibilities of science. A perfect blend of science fiction, politics, and even a bit of romance makes part one of the CHILDREN OF THE MIRACLE series a must read.”
Said Daniel Weisbeck, “I am honored and grateful to have received the 2021 Discovery Award for Science Fiction from IndieReader. IR professional reviews have been a big part of building my credibility as a new author and reaching my target audience. I can confidently say IR’s reviews helped me to sell over 3,000 copies of my debut novels in the first nine months after launch. To win best Science Fiction Book for 2021 from a leader in indie-publishing reviews is a huge honour. Thank you, IR team!”
Daniel Weisbeck spent over twenty-years as a marketing leader in the technology and software industry. His debut award winning series, the Children of the Miracle Series, has sold over 3,000 copies since launching in July of 2020. Daniel lives on the English coast in the South Downs with his partner, Frank, three dogs, thirty sheep, and two rescue racehorses.
The Children of the Miracle Series is a speculative science fiction thriller. In a dark future, after a deadly virus nearly wipes out humanity, three Sanctuary Cities remain. When a mutation of the virus threatens a second pandemic, Doctor Mercy Perching is called to the Sanctuary of Americas to help find a cure. When she arrives, she discovers the Sanctuary has been running genetic experiments on humans with animal DNA to find a cure to the virus and they have created an entirely new species called the Chimera. When the mutation spreads to both human and Chimera alike, the race is on to survive as each species fights for their place in the new world order.
Book one, Children of the Miracle, and book two, Oasis One, of the Children of the Miracle Series are available through Amazon and all other major book retailers now. Book three is expected to launch in late 2021.
WINS 2021 INDIEREADER DISCOVERY AWARD FOR SCIENCE FICTION
June, 2nd, 2021 – On Thursday June 2nd, IndieReader, one of the original review services for self, hybrid and independently published authors, announced the winners of the tenth annual IR Discovery Awards (IRDAs) for 2021. Children of the Miracle by Daniel Weisbeck won in the Science Fiction category.
IndieReader launched the IRDAs in 2011 to help notable indie authors receive the attention of top publishing professionals, with the goal of reaching more readers.
Noted Amy Edelman, author and founder of IR, “The books that won the IRDAs this year are not simply great indie books; they are great books, period. We hope that our efforts via the IRDAs ensure that they receive attention from the people who matter most. Potential readers.”
Past and present sponsors for the IRDAs include Amazon, Reedsy, Smith Publicity and NY-based literary agents Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. Judges have included publishers (from Penguin Group USA and Simon & Schuster), agents (from ICM, Dystel), publicists (from Smith Publicity), and bloggers (from GoodeReader).
Children of the Miracle received the following verdict by IndieReader’s reviewers:
“An absolutely astounding and riveting dystopian thriller, Daniel Weisbeck’s CHILDREN OF THE MIRACLE is packed with interesting characters, action, and intrigue on every page as readers explore a postpandemic era and the vast possibilities of science. A perfect blend of science fiction, politics, and even a bit of romance makes part one of the CHILDREN OF THE MIRACLE series a must read.”
Said Daniel Weisbeck, “I am honored and grateful to have received the 2021 Discovery Award for Science Fiction from IndieReader. IR professional reviews have been a big part of building my credibility as a new author and reaching my target audience. I can confidently say IR’s reviews helped me to sell over 3,000 copies of my debut novels in the first nine months after launch. To win best Science Fiction Book for 2021 from a leader in indie-publishing reviews is a huge honour. Thank you, IR team!”
Daniel Weisbeck spent over twenty-years as a marketing leader in the technology and software industry. His debut award winning series, the Children of the Miracle Series, has sold over 3,000 copies since launching in July of 2020. Daniel lives on the English coast in the South Downs with his partner, Frank, three dogs, thirty sheep, and two rescue racehorses.
The Children of the Miracle Series is a speculative science fiction thriller. In a dark future, after a deadly virus nearly wipes out humanity, three Sanctuary Cities remain. When a mutation of the virus threatens a second pandemic, Doctor Mercy Perching is called to the Sanctuary of Americas to help find a cure. When she arrives, she discovers the Sanctuary has been running genetic experiments on humans with animal DNA to find a cure to the virus and they have created an entirely new species called the Chimera. When the mutation spreads to both human and Chimera alike, the race is on to survive as each species fights for their place in the new world order.
Book one, Children of the Miracle, and book two, Oasis One, of the Children of the Miracle Series are available through Amazon and all other major book retailers now. Book three is expected to launch in late 2021.
August 18, 2020
Amazon Top 100 Today
I wanted to say thanks to all the readers who have helped me reach a milestone with Children of the Miracle. Today we hit Top 100 Bestseller on Amazon in three categories! Chuffed and super grateful.
July 26, 2020
Thank you for your stars
It was a fantastic weekend watching new reviews for Children of the Miracle come in... check out Goodreader reviews to see why they recommend the Children of the Miracle.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you for the thoughtful and well-written comments on my book and your gracious Stars - James, Lauren, Susan, Caitlynn, Mary, Hanna, Donna, and DeeDee.
And a little teaser update. There is a sequel coming.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you for the thoughtful and well-written comments on my book and your gracious Stars - James, Lauren, Susan, Caitlynn, Mary, Hanna, Donna, and DeeDee.
And a little teaser update. There is a sequel coming.
July 25, 2020
Why Racial and Sexual Diversity in Sci-Fi Matters
Let me start by introducing myself as an openly gay author. This revelation may not be such a shocking thing in the publishing industry, but when I came out as a gay marketing leader in software, that was unusual. The topic of diversity in all industries is a passion of mine. And why I feel Science Fiction is a powerful vehicle for exploring the future consequences of intolerance.
Since Brave New World, one of the very first dystopian novels ever published for those of you who need the cheat sheet, science fiction and dark futures have been a powerful vehicle for social commentary. Throwing humanity ten, a hundred, or even thousands of years into our future creates a platform to dissect, expose and warn our current civilisation about where they may be heading. Whether the red flags are waving for ‘out of control AI’ or ‘a burning Earth’ or ‘Capitol overlords forcing peasants into Hunger Games’, good science fiction can examine humanities strengths and weaknesses and rip open uncomfortable truths about the consequences of our current world behaviours.
In the beginning, my inspiration for writing Children of the Miracle started with a curiosity about genetic engineering and how far experimentation would be allowed to progress before hitting society’s moral brick wall. In my future, there is a global pandemic which almost eradicates humanity, forcing them to break past any ethical boundaries around the full modification of the human genome. But as I started designing a new hybrid human species to be immune to the virus, I began to wonder what life would be like for these creatures living in a world still controlled and dominated by ‘pure’ humans. I suddenly wanted to fight for their freedom, respect and right to an equal life. To a high degree, this idea of fighting against a dominant majority infected the storyline and character development for many of my peeps in the book. The character of Doctor Chase, a human-canine hybrid, and the many other forms of hybrids, allowed me a voice in my story to challenge society’s intolerance towards racial and sexual diversity, and ultimately question if humans will ever change their need to segregate and subjugate others, even when diversity is intentionally designed.
You’ll need to read the book to see how it turns out for Chase. But my hope is that Children of the Miracle can be an example of how and why science fiction is an important platform to explore sexual and racial diversity and intolerance. Sci-Fi that is both entertaining and thought-provoking can reach a much larger audience than political editorials. And fiction is a non-threatening way for readers to question their own views and how they might change the world today to change the future for everyone tomorrow. Let’s raise the flag for diversity in science fiction and keep asking the uncomfortable questions about how we build a better future for everyone.
Let me know what you think about science fiction having more sexually and racially diverse characters/themes. And what great sci-fi books you have read which have diverse characters. There are many! Comments below welcome.
Since Brave New World, one of the very first dystopian novels ever published for those of you who need the cheat sheet, science fiction and dark futures have been a powerful vehicle for social commentary. Throwing humanity ten, a hundred, or even thousands of years into our future creates a platform to dissect, expose and warn our current civilisation about where they may be heading. Whether the red flags are waving for ‘out of control AI’ or ‘a burning Earth’ or ‘Capitol overlords forcing peasants into Hunger Games’, good science fiction can examine humanities strengths and weaknesses and rip open uncomfortable truths about the consequences of our current world behaviours.
In the beginning, my inspiration for writing Children of the Miracle started with a curiosity about genetic engineering and how far experimentation would be allowed to progress before hitting society’s moral brick wall. In my future, there is a global pandemic which almost eradicates humanity, forcing them to break past any ethical boundaries around the full modification of the human genome. But as I started designing a new hybrid human species to be immune to the virus, I began to wonder what life would be like for these creatures living in a world still controlled and dominated by ‘pure’ humans. I suddenly wanted to fight for their freedom, respect and right to an equal life. To a high degree, this idea of fighting against a dominant majority infected the storyline and character development for many of my peeps in the book. The character of Doctor Chase, a human-canine hybrid, and the many other forms of hybrids, allowed me a voice in my story to challenge society’s intolerance towards racial and sexual diversity, and ultimately question if humans will ever change their need to segregate and subjugate others, even when diversity is intentionally designed.
You’ll need to read the book to see how it turns out for Chase. But my hope is that Children of the Miracle can be an example of how and why science fiction is an important platform to explore sexual and racial diversity and intolerance. Sci-Fi that is both entertaining and thought-provoking can reach a much larger audience than political editorials. And fiction is a non-threatening way for readers to question their own views and how they might change the world today to change the future for everyone tomorrow. Let’s raise the flag for diversity in science fiction and keep asking the uncomfortable questions about how we build a better future for everyone.
Let me know what you think about science fiction having more sexually and racially diverse characters/themes. And what great sci-fi books you have read which have diverse characters. There are many! Comments below welcome.
July 24, 2020
Five Stars for Children of the Miracle on ReedsyDiscovery
Children of the Miracle receives Five out of Five Stars and a Must Read rating by ReedsyDiscovery!
‘Weisbeck's story is sensational, offering suspense and wonder. The story is extremely well-written and creative. We have shapeshifters, werewolves, vampires, but have you really ever heard of avian hybrids or scorpion hybrids?’ -Lauren Jones, ReedsyDiscovery
Read the entire review and the first chapter of Children of the Miracle here:
https://reedsy.com/discovery/book/chi...
Thank you ReedsyDiscovery and Laura Jones.
‘Weisbeck's story is sensational, offering suspense and wonder. The story is extremely well-written and creative. We have shapeshifters, werewolves, vampires, but have you really ever heard of avian hybrids or scorpion hybrids?’ -Lauren Jones, ReedsyDiscovery
Read the entire review and the first chapter of Children of the Miracle here:
https://reedsy.com/discovery/book/chi...
Thank you ReedsyDiscovery and Laura Jones.
July 13, 2020
5/5 Review by IndieReader
Children of the Miracle, my debut novel, received a lovely review by CS Holmes at IndieReaders. See why he recommends the book as Indie Reader approved science fiction. Always looking for more reader feedback and reviews if you want to read my book.
'CHILDREN OF THE MIRACLE by Daniel Weisbeck is a thought-provoking, heart-palpitating dystopian adventure into the possible consequences of genetically modified human beings.' ~C.S. Holmes for IndieReader
https://indiereader.com/book_review/c...
Full Review:
The Sanctuary of Americas has been running genetic experiments with people plus animal DNA, seeking a cure to the FossilFlu that wiped out much of Earth's population in Daniel Weisbeck's CHILDREN OF THE MIRACLE.
In the science fiction novel CHILDREN OF THE MIRACLE by Daniel Weisbeck, a pandemic has struck Earth, killing billions. Experts from doctors to government officials attempted to stem the worldwide tide of destruction, but now a second, mutated wave of the virus threatens to eradicate the human beings, and perhaps all life forms, are left. When Dr. Mercy Perching of the Sanctuary of Europe is invited to travel to the Sanctuary of Americas, a location that has kept itself intentionally isolated for a century, she is startled to learn the source of the mutation. It has originated from the Chimera; a hybrid species this locale has already been fashioning from genetically modified genes of human mixed with animal DNA.
While the story is set in a future time where things like personal virtual assistants proliferate (Mercy’s had one named Gia since childhood that can do things like captain a ship), and the sun has become something everyone in the Sanctuary of Europe avoids unless they want days of radiation treatment, what’s happening in the Americas is enough to astonish Mercy. Their concept of ‘diversity’ is now tangibly by design, and what’s being created are beings that are, for instance, part-man combined with part-dog or part-bird, such as Dr. Chase, America’s head of Infectious Disease Research, who has paws. The idea of eugenics and customizing new and improve races has been falling in and out of favor with homo sapiens for quite awhile, but this novel takes the idea to a new intensely chilling level. The Sanctuary of Americas has ten hybrid classifications from C1 to C10, with anything above C9 theoretically sterilized at birth and anything troublesome gotten rid of. Is this humane? And once Dr. Mercy meets Dr. Chase with his thick, wavy hair and broad shoulders, her feelings of astonishment turn into something quite a bit…warmer.
There are a few minor flaws to this novel which could be easily corrected, such as adding in a user-friendly, hyperlinked Table of Contents for ease of navigation. On the whole, Weisbeck’s CHILDREN OF THE MIRACLE is a superb examination of the advantages and potential pitfalls of both technology and human nature in a world where everything and everyone wants to survive. When the cure to a virus is key to personal power along with holding the fate of a new species in its hands, who can be trusted? Maybe no one.
CHILDREN OF THE MIRACLE by Daniel Weisbeck is a thought-provoking, heart-palpitating dystopian adventure into the possible consequences of genetically modified human beings.
~C.S. Holmes for IndieReader
'CHILDREN OF THE MIRACLE by Daniel Weisbeck is a thought-provoking, heart-palpitating dystopian adventure into the possible consequences of genetically modified human beings.' ~C.S. Holmes for IndieReader
https://indiereader.com/book_review/c...
Full Review:
The Sanctuary of Americas has been running genetic experiments with people plus animal DNA, seeking a cure to the FossilFlu that wiped out much of Earth's population in Daniel Weisbeck's CHILDREN OF THE MIRACLE.
In the science fiction novel CHILDREN OF THE MIRACLE by Daniel Weisbeck, a pandemic has struck Earth, killing billions. Experts from doctors to government officials attempted to stem the worldwide tide of destruction, but now a second, mutated wave of the virus threatens to eradicate the human beings, and perhaps all life forms, are left. When Dr. Mercy Perching of the Sanctuary of Europe is invited to travel to the Sanctuary of Americas, a location that has kept itself intentionally isolated for a century, she is startled to learn the source of the mutation. It has originated from the Chimera; a hybrid species this locale has already been fashioning from genetically modified genes of human mixed with animal DNA.
While the story is set in a future time where things like personal virtual assistants proliferate (Mercy’s had one named Gia since childhood that can do things like captain a ship), and the sun has become something everyone in the Sanctuary of Europe avoids unless they want days of radiation treatment, what’s happening in the Americas is enough to astonish Mercy. Their concept of ‘diversity’ is now tangibly by design, and what’s being created are beings that are, for instance, part-man combined with part-dog or part-bird, such as Dr. Chase, America’s head of Infectious Disease Research, who has paws. The idea of eugenics and customizing new and improve races has been falling in and out of favor with homo sapiens for quite awhile, but this novel takes the idea to a new intensely chilling level. The Sanctuary of Americas has ten hybrid classifications from C1 to C10, with anything above C9 theoretically sterilized at birth and anything troublesome gotten rid of. Is this humane? And once Dr. Mercy meets Dr. Chase with his thick, wavy hair and broad shoulders, her feelings of astonishment turn into something quite a bit…warmer.
There are a few minor flaws to this novel which could be easily corrected, such as adding in a user-friendly, hyperlinked Table of Contents for ease of navigation. On the whole, Weisbeck’s CHILDREN OF THE MIRACLE is a superb examination of the advantages and potential pitfalls of both technology and human nature in a world where everything and everyone wants to survive. When the cure to a virus is key to personal power along with holding the fate of a new species in its hands, who can be trusted? Maybe no one.
CHILDREN OF THE MIRACLE by Daniel Weisbeck is a thought-provoking, heart-palpitating dystopian adventure into the possible consequences of genetically modified human beings.
~C.S. Holmes for IndieReader
